Oops! Amtrak Trains Don’t Fit in Miami’s $2 Billion Train Station

This…This is the sort of thing that made me a libertarian free marketeer long ago. Stupidity, over a long time, facilitated by likely thousands of people, and all paid for by taxes you and I pay.

(From Reason)

When the $2 billion Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) started construction in 2011, the plan was to have its central station serviced by long-distance Amtrak trains.

Construction finished in 2013 and while three different rail services currently operate at the station, Amtrak is nowhere to be found. The reason? The platform built for Amtrak is 200 feet too short for Amtrak’s long-distance trains.

The problem was first discovered shortly after construction began, but who exactly is to blame for the multi-million-dollar mishap, or what is to be done about it now, remain open questions.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) claims that it was only informed of the platform length issue months after construction started. Amtrak insists that it kept FDOT fully informed of its needs throughout the pre-construction design and review stage.